Prenatal Diagnosis of Umbilical Artery Thrombosis

Umbilical artery thrombosis (UAT) is rare and few prenatally diagnosed cases have been reported. We describe 2 cases of fetal growth restriction prenatally diagnosed as UAT by ultrasound examination. In each case the cross section of the umbilical cord showed one normal artery and a small echogenic area which was suspected as an occluded thrombotic artery and they were surrounded by a highly curving 'C-shaped' vein. UAT was confirmed by histological examinations after deliveries in both cases. The characteristic ultrasound finding of the umbilical vessel, which is the so-called 'orange grabbed sign', enables the prenatal diagnosis of UAT and it is valuable with respect to perinatal fetal management because UAT is associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel